Savor Thai Toronto — Restaurant in Toronto

Five Stars doesn't do this meal justice.

As a bit of a qualifier, while we consider ourselves lightweight Toronto foodies, trying most of the latest and greatest in Toronto over the last 25 years, we've grown tired of the pretentiousness and sameness of most high end gastronomy, not only in Toronto, but worldwide. Savor bucks those trends in every way. From the space, which is gorgeous but laid back and simple in its elegance, to the staff, which was one of the most professional, yet casual and least pretentious teams I've ever experienced, to the cocktails, which, although a bit crazy expensive, were unique and delicious, to the most important thing - the food!

Oh, the food! We chose the $135 tasting menu, and even at that price it was worth every penny! Incredible presentation, the freshest and finest ingredients (best miami short rib I've ever tasted), and the most perfect combination of flavours!

A word of warning - don't expect traditional Thai food. You wouldn't want to pay these prices if it were, as there are, finally, numerous excellent and more modestly-priced Thai restaurants in the city. While the ingredients and flavours are certainly deeply rooted in Thai cooking, I would call it "heavily Thai-influenced" gastronomy. Regardless, whatever you call it, it was two and a half hours of pure bliss! If Savor were in Bangkok, I have no doubt it would be twice the price and probably Michelin 2-Stars.

I look forward to going back soon to try the (more affordable) a la carte menu, which I'm sure is equally delicious.

Notwithstanding a few small quips - the room is quite noisy (it could use some sound dampening), the A/C was too cold, and it would have been nice if Chef Art popped out of the kitchen to greet his guests; I'm sure we all would have appreciated it - this was, overall, one of the top 5 meals I've had in Toronto. Congratulations to chef Art and the entire, professional team at Savor Thai on making my and my partner's birthdays...

What a FEAST! Thank you Chef Art & team!

Second Visit (yes, it was so good that I brought my parents to try the delicious food!) We were greeted by very warm welcome (back) from Jantana and the Savor team. They treat everyone likes their special guests with very attentive service, as always!

We had the tasting menu again (which will be changed in Dec., and we had the privilege to try a few new things, e.g. the lamb chop, the different kinds of desserts, and the duck dish that hasn’t been officially out yet ☺️)

Still a wonderful meal and we can’t wait to be back to try their new tasting menu again!

First Visit: Wow! Did I just SAVOUR the BEST tasting menu among the Thai restaurants in town? Everything is soooo good! The whole tasting menu (details below)is so worth it (at least before this place becomes a Michelin One Star? 😉) Our cocktails are great also!

Amuse Bouche “Miang Lao” Laotian Bite caramelized pork, peanut, cured radish wrapped in pickled green, betal leaf rice crisp

Starters “Neua Yang” Grilled Beef charcoal grilled picanha “Tum Polamai” Green Papaya & Fruit Salad fermented fish spicy salad dressing

Pre-Main course “Gang Kua Hoi Malang Pu” Red Curry Mussels lemongrass-Thai basil steamed mussels, sea salt coconut milk pudding, red curry sorbet (This is my absolute favourite!!!!)

“Sum Rub” Main course (We didn’t try the lamb chop due to allergy) “Choo Chee Goong” Prawn Red Curry pan-roasted black tiger prawn, red curry, roasted shishito “Kai Jaew Pu” Crab Fried Egg katsuobushi fried egg, house-made Sriracha, chile-garlic fish sauce “Nam Prik Kee Ga” Roasted Pepper Relish seasonal vegetables “Tom Mara” bitter melon broth “Kao” steamed Jasmine, brown and riceberry rices

Pre-Dessert Effervescence of Lemongrass-Pandanus Water Steamed Coconut Rice Cake, Chrysanthimum

Dessert “Nam Kang Sai” Shaved Ice yuzu-mango ice, grassroot jelly (Would be even better if we have a nicer dessert than just shaved ice with mixed...

In the words of Kamala:

Do Not Come

Perhaps it was an off night, but unfortunately, this is not spectacular Thai food in my opinion compared to all the other assortment of Thai restaurants we currently have in Toronto. As a Toronto native I think we have much better alternatives from refined to fast Thai dining. Unfortunately, this did not hit the mark for me and I can’t pin where it lies on the spectrum.

Due to all the other positive reviews and social media posts, I had a high bar set and perhaps because of that I was let down more than usual.

We had the tasting menu which took three hours in total. Given the price point I came hungry and left hungry. I felt punished for choosing their highest priced “course” As the food came painstakingly slow with very small portions while I was watching all my neighbouring tables get their food quickly with large portions. I guess I ordered the circus meal.

At a certain point of the tasting menu, they move from single portions per diner to a family style sharing set. The portions yet again were small and they offered a refill on rice, soup, and vegetables. Unfortunately, we had to rely on the refills since we were hungry, which took a good 10 to 15 minutes before they arrived. This was just a slap in the face because our mains were already getting cold after waiting so long for it to arrive. I just cannot fathom why it would take so long to bring refills of rice when I feel it is more of a scoop and bring over sort of situation. The vegetables were also just fresh cuts so there was little to no preparation time for these items which really threw us off as to why these also took 10 to 15 minutes?

Overall, it was just extremely disappointing and unfortunately, I really wanted to like the set course but will not be returning again. There are much better tasting menu options in Toronto at this...